Transcript Homesteadbambooplantation - International Network for

TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY MODEL
HOMESTEAD BAMBOO PLANTATION
INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR BAMBOO AND RATTAN
Why bamboo?
• Bamboos grow more rapidly than trees and start to yield within
three or four years of planting.
• Plantation establishment requires minimal capital investment and
builds upon the inherent plant-cultivation skills of local farmers
and foresters.
• Bamboos can be harvested annually and non-destructively.
• Bamboos are excellent for rejuvenating degraded lands and
protecting against soil erosion.
• Bamboos may easily be intercropped with shallow-rooted crops.
• As well as the culms, all other parts of the bamboo plant can be
used in rural livelihoods - shoots for food, leaves for fodder, and
branches for items such as brooms and for firewood.
What is a homestead bamboo plantation?
• A homestead bamboo plantation is a plantation
owned and run by one family. Its size will be
determined by the amount of time various
family members are able to devote to it aside
from their other responsibilities.
• The homestead bamboo plantation will supply a
small number of culms and shoot annually,
either for sale as raw materials, or for family or
community-based processing activities, thereby
generating extra income.
How do I establish and run a homestead bamboo plantation?
1. Select suitable land:
2. Choose your species:
3. Prepare the land well.
Most soils are suitable.
Select carefully based upon
A gently sloping site is ideal. intended end - uses.
4. Plant one year-old
bamboo plants in
the spring.
5. Proper plantation management 6. Sustainable harvesting
will ensure continued regular
harvests every year.
will maintain plantation
integrity in the long term.
Main development attributes of a homestead bamboo plantation
• Creates income generation for poor rural people, especially
women.
• Improves and broadens farmers plant cultivation skills base,
making them more able to handle shocks and empowering them
with new abilities.
• Increases the area of managed bamboo
resources.
• Permits rapid re-greening of denuded
and degraded lands.
• Promotes the sustainable increased use
of bamboo as a wood substitute.
• Provides raw material for downstream
processing and income generation
activities by the householder.
Some salient facts
• Simultaneous cultivation of three
or four different species, each
with specific end-uses, can
greatly increase the versatility of
the plantation.
• Most bamboos can be harvested
from approximately the
fifth year after planting,
but intercropping can be
practiced during this time.
Photo: handmade bamboo/wood
composite baskets
• The plantation can supply
the individual family's
bamboo processing
activities, or broader
community processing
activities.
Requirements for success
• Homestead with land available for bamboo cultivation
• Interest of local families in planting bamboo.
• Availability of raw materials - propagules, fertilisers,
tools.
• A small amount of start-up capital
to purchase propagules and tools.
• Access to expert advice and
assistance in the early stages.
• Establishment of a supportive
community infrastructure,
especially if the family will also
be processing the bamboos.
Photo: splitting bamboo
Financial aspects of a homestead bamboo plantation*
(based on data for Melocanna baccifera in Bangladesh)
ESTABLISHMENT COSTS (US $)
Planting,, fertilisers and other costs
for 400 seedlings plus 15% for
mortality
$82.80
RUNNING COSTS
yr 1
yr 2
yr 3
yr 4
yr 5
yr 6 +
$136
$62
$76
$91
$159
$13
* all figures per hectare
RETURNS - from year 5 onwards
Sale of culms
Profit
yr 5
$133
$93 neg
yr 6
$160
$106
yr 7
$187
$132
yr 8
$213
$159
yr 9
$240
$186
yr 10+ $280
$267
RETURN ABOVE
VARIABLE COSTS
18%
For further information
See
TOTEMs
Medium and large scale bamboo plantations.
Bamboo shoot plantation.
Community bamboo nursery.
Contact
• INBAR, Beijing 100101-80, China
• Bangladesh Forest Research
Institute, Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Websites
INBAR: www.inbar.int
Publications
A manual for vegetative propagation of
bamboos. INBAR technical report no 6.
Text file available at:
http://www.inbar.int/publication/txt/
INBAR_Technical_Report_No06.htm
Photo: Extracting a culm for propagation